Make Your Mark    

It’s OK if you’re not quite in the Twitter game (yet) but if you’re part of an organization, you should do these few damage control tasks right away. Others are learning the hard way.

1. Grab your Twitter username(s) now to protect your name and brand(s).
   It’s now as important as owning your domain name. Grab both your own real name if possible (e.g., JohnSmith) as well as your business name and any major brand names you own. Grabbing someone else’s name or grabbing too many names is against Twitter policies, which are enforced.
2. Speak up if someone has your brand name as a user name.
   See Twitter’s user name squatting policy to resolve it.
3. Don’t just Google, use  Twitter Search.
   When you search the web for your brand and topics of interest, search Twitter and you’ll uncover a whole new level of insights to inform your decisions.
4. Continue to monitor Twitter conversations using Twitter alerts.
   Set up Twitter alerts for your name and brands. You’ll get an email showing you the latest relevant posts so you can stay on top of what’s being said. I prefer TweetBeep for my alerts because of the multiple search options, including location.
5. Pause before you jump into the fray.
   Let’s say you don’t like what someone said about your brand or your field of expertise on Twitter, don’t just jump in and defend yourself. Posts are public and permanent so think first. Consider responding with an offer of support. Being helpful is the name of the game in Web 2.0. And if there is a complaint about your brand, be helpful by taking the feedback seriously. You know, if you’re a gas-guzzler automaker, build a better car and we won’t complain so much.
6. When you’re ready to jump in, plan a thoughtful strategy first.
   Find someone who understands social media culture and social media marketing and what works and what doesn’t. For instance, I provide trainings for using Twitter in the workplace, including custom strategy development.

More Chatter on the Web

On April 20th, the LA Times recapped damages to major brands like Amazon when they ignored Twitter. And of course, it was a blogger who wrote about the Amazon issue earlier than mainstream media did.

• Using Twitter to Respond to a PR Crisis: Amazon.com Failed To Act
  (includes great tips from a PR pro)

Tags: amazonfail, PR crisis, reputation management, Social Media, twitter